Recipes focus on 11 regions of Oaxaca

October 27, 2010|By Judy Hevrdejs, Tribune Newspapers

Simply calling Diana Kennedy's latest volume, "Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy" a "cookbook" would be selling it short. "Oaxaca al Gusto" is much more. It celebrates this state in southern Mexico known for its mind-boggling geographic diversity. It's also famous as the birthplace of corn and its vast array of chilies. "Oaxaca is, without a doubt, the great cradle of these things," she said.

It's the "concentration in Oaxaca of enormous culture" that Kennedy mines for the history, descriptions of traditional foods and cooking methods tucked among the recipes in the book. And those recipes? Tentative cooks will find salsas, soups and stews. Adventurous cooks will need to track down less familiar chilies and closely read the text alongside recipes for Kennedy's guidance.

Divided not by an appetizer-to-dessert lineup, the book is organized by cuisines in 11 of Oaxaca's regions. "It is so diverse you can't stop with only recipes," she said. "It was absolutely logical that each area had its specific place in the gastronomy."

Kennedy tested each of those recipes in her teaching-research center in Michoacan, a space filled with Mexican clay pots. "I would hate for anything to happen to them because they, to me, are history, culinary history."

A note on ingredients

If you arrive at "Oaxaca al Gusto" without a pit stop at any of Kennedy's other books, you may be mystified by some ingredients. Check grocers in neighborhoods with Latin American populations. And for rare chilies, try specialty food Web sites such as melissaguerra.com.

Pickled fish

(Escabeche de pescado horneado)

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Adapted from Diana Kennedy's "Oaxaca al Gusto," this recipe calls for barrilete or skipjack tuna or any lightly smoked fish. The finished escabeche is served on tostaditas (crisp tortilla pieces).

These simple tortillas, adapted from a recipe in Diana Kennedy's "Oaxaca al Gusto," can be served as is or with eggs.

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 white onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 3/4 pounds tomatoes, quartered, cooked in a small amount of water

2 jalapenos, toasted, skinned, seeded

2 large sprigs epazote

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 corn tortillas, 6 inches in diameter

3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, torn in small pieces

1 Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet. Add about 1/3 of the onion slices and the garlic; fry until golden, 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender with 1/2 cup of the tomato cooking liquid and jalapenos; blend until smooth. Add the tomatoes with the rest of the cooking liquid; blend to a smooth puree. Return mixture to skillet; cook over medium heat until reduced a little. Add epazote and salt; keep hot.

2 Heat about 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in a skillet. Fry tortillas lightly on both sides, one at a time, adding more oil if needed, until crisp at the edges. Drain on paper towels.

3 Dip tortillas, one by one, into the hot tomato sauce. Fold into quarters; place on warm serving dish or individual plates. Pour remaining sauce over; garnish with remaining onion, cheese and parsley.